Stan Collymore accused BBC bosses of hypocrisy after reports he had been dropped from Match of the Day 2 and said: “If Jeremy Clarkson can work for them, so can I.”

The former Aston Villa striker angrily hit back after the Birmingham Mail revealed the Beeb had no plans to use him on the soccer show this season, despite previously offering him future guest slots.

Collymore originally tweeted in May that he had been invited to appear on the show and was congratulated on Twitter by Gary Lineker who said: “Welcome to the club.”

Yet the Cannock-born star became involved in a controversy about the Falklands at around that time, sparking complaints to the BBC.

And today a BBC spokesperson announced: “There are no present plans for Stan to appear but we are always in contact with potential guests about ad hoc appearances.”

The TalkSport pundit has now posted a long statement on Twitter stating Mark Chapman, presenter of Match of the Day 2, had asked him to be appear on the programme back in May.

He added after the Falklands furore broke, a BBC producer contacted him again to say people had complained to the broadcaster about the former England star appearing on the show.

The producer then said there would be an “ongoing discussion” as to whether he would appear as he was a “controversial figure.”

But Collymore today listed a number of controversial figures who had worked for the BBC, including child sex abusers Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall and race-row Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson and said: “So one could argue that there is some degree of hypocrisy in that statement.

"I reiterate I was asked to appear, not the other way round.”

He later added: “If my tweet about the Falklands, which did not mention the 1982 conflict, nor Argentina, nor was aimed at British servicemen or women, merely an opinion of British colonial policy in centuries gone by... was offensive enough for the BBC to withdraw their offer, why does Jeremy Clarkson get several attempts at offending many Britons? Popularity? Income generator?

“If Clarkson can work for the BBC, so can I. And I will.”

Collymore has previously used Twitter to campaign against prejudice, notably regarding the treatment of the mentally ill, and racism but has been repeatedly targeted by sick trolls - sparking police action.